KARACHI: The race for dominance between Army and WAPDA intensified on the second day of the athletics events at the 35th National Games, at the PNS Karsaz tartan track.
Army currently top the table with 11 gold medals, while WAPDA follow closely with 10. In the men’s events, Army secured eight gold medals, with WAPDA claiming two and Navy one. In the women’s category, WAPDA are leading with eight gold medals, followed by Army with three and HEC with one.
In the men’s 20km walk, Army’s Qasim Faiz clinched gold with a time of 1 hour, 28 minutes and 12.2 seconds. WAPDA’s Muhammad Waqas won silver, while Army’s Adnan Moazz earned bronze.
In the women’s 5km walk, WAPDA’s Amara took gold with a time of 34.12 minutes. Sindh’s Mahnoor bagged silver, and Army’s Kanwal Faiz secured bronze. Army dominated the men’s pole vault as Muhammad Asif won gold with a height of 4.80m, followed by teammate Jafar Ashraf with silver. PAF’s Muhammad Rizwan settled for bronze.
In the women’s triple jump, HEC’s Amtal Rehman grabbed gold with an impressive 11.87m jump. HEC’s Kinza Sarfraz clinched silver, while Army’s Muniza Javed earned bronze. Army’s Waqas Akbar secured gold in the men’s 800m race with a time of 1 minute and 49.82 seconds. HEC’s Samiullah claimed silver, and teammate Usama Hassan completed the podium with bronze.
The men’s 400m race also went to Army, with Abdul Razzaq taking gold in 51.53 seconds. Army’s Ali Nawaz won silver, while HEC’s Hazrat Umar secured bronze. In the women’s javelin throw, WAPDA’s Fatima claimed gold with a throw of 42.38m. HEC’s Khadija Mehreen won silver, and Punjab’s Sana Ejaz earned bronze.
WAPDA’s Musarrat Shaheen dominated the women’s 400m hurdles with a time of 1 minute and 6.94 seconds to win gold. HEC’s Kinza Sarfraz took silver, while WAPDA’s Noreen Jabbar secured bronze.
Army’s Faryal Farooq captured gold in the women’s discus throw with a best effort of 38.21m. WAPDA’s Ishrat Fatima won silver, and HEC’s Khadija Mehran claimed bronze. Army’s Muhammad Naeem won the men’s 110m hurdles, clocking 13.90 seconds. Teammate Tajammul Hussain secured silver, while HEC’s Abu Bakar earned bronze.
In the women’s 800m race, WAPDA’s Erum Shehzadi took gold with a time of 2 minutes and 27.10 seconds. HEC’s Nazia bagged silver, and HEC’s Kinza Sarfraz picked up another bronze. WAPDA’s Faiqa Riaz claimed her second gold medal of the competition by winning the women’s 200m sprint in 25.10 seconds. HEC’s Khola Umar Khan secured silver, while WAPDA’s Sanina Sarwar took bronze.
Exciting and high-intensity matches continued in the men’s and women’s hockey events of the 35th National Games. In the men’s event, Army defeated Navy 3–1 to qualify for the semi-finals. Army’s goals were scored by Waseem Akram (2) and Muhammad Owais (1), while Abdul Wahab netted the lone goal for Navy.
Earlier, a thrilling contest between Pakistan Air Force and WAPDA ended 3–2 in favour of WAPDA. With this result, both teams secured their places in the semi-finals. WAPDA’s scorers were Tauseeq Arshad, Mohibullah and Ali Aziz. For Pakistan Air Force, both goals were scored by Rizwan Ali.
In the women’s competition, the match between Sindh and WAPDA ended in a 1–1 draw. Commonwealth gold medalist Inam Butt added another gold medal to his illustrious career, achieving the remarkable milestone of becoming an 18-time national wrestling champion.
In the heavyweight category, Army’s Nauman Zaka secured the silver medal, while Punjab’s Rana Faizan and Railways’ Haider Ali claimed bronze. In the 57kg category, WAPDA’s Junaid Khan clinched the gold medal. Punjab’s Faraz Khan bagged silver, and Army’s Sabir Ali earned bronze.
In the 70kg weight class, Punjab’s Abdullah delivered an impressive performance to win gold, while in the 79kg category, Army’s Asadullah secured the top position.
In the Kabaddi (Asian style) competitions of the 35th National Games 2025 continued for the second consecutive day at Bilawal Society, featuring high-intensity contests in both the men’s and women’s categories. Teams displayed remarkable skill, strategy and enthusiasm throughout the event.
On the opening day of the men’s matches, WAPDA defeated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 55-21, while PAF outclassed Sindh in a one-sided contest by 105-18. Army overpowered Punjab 71-26, and Navy registered a 58-23 win against KP. In another fixture, WAPDA beat Sindh 31-17.
In the women’s matches, Army routed Sindh 72-13, and WAPDA overpowered Balochistan 60-06.
The second day featured a thrilling contest between PAF and Navy, where PAF emerged victorious after a tough battle, winning 37-34. WAPDA defeated Punjab 52-24, while KP outplayed Sindh 64-23. Army continued its dominance with a 37-18 victory over PAF.
In the women’s category, Army beat KP 64-23, whereas WAPDA secured a 59-10 win against Sindh. Army, WAPDA and PAF teams maintained impressive performances throughout the event. The Kabaddi (Asian style) competitions will continue at the same venue as per the National Games schedule.
